Cricket.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 23, 28 January 1911, Page 20

Cricket.

• (By " Half- Volley.") Very little comment is necessary on last Saturday's senior games. East B took the field four men short, and were defeated by East A by an innings and 185 runs, and Central A and South had easy victories over Central B and Victoria College. The play was dull — deadly dull, and long before play ceased nine-tenths of the spectators had left< the i ground. The only pertormance worthy | of note stands to the credit of Grace, of I the South team. Grace had a regular field day. He compiled 111 with the bat, and took five wickets for 35 runs — a splendid double performance. Mona- 1 ghan (Victoria College) and Hawthorn (Central A) obtained fair bowling averages, and Naughton (Central A) knocked up 45 not out with the bat. Amongst the world's great test matches, says the Sydney Mail, may be mentioned that at Kennington Oval, in August, '82, the next at Sydney in February, '83, the third also at Sydney in January, '87 ; the fourth again at Sydney in December, '94, the fifth at Manchester in July, 1902, the sixth at Kennington Oval during the same tour. Also, those magnificent, if longdrawn-out, struggles between A. 0. Jones' team and Australia, and the match against South Africa just concluded at Adelaide. The three closest victories on record were two of those in 1902 gained by the Australians in England and one against the last M.C.C.'s team. in 1902 Australia secured a three runs' victory. Winning the toss, they opened with Trumperand Duff, who put up one of their many firstwicket partnerships of three figures, scoring 135 in an hour and 30 minutes. Darling and Hill made a fine stand for the fifth -wicket, and the innings closed for 299, of which Trumper obtained 10 d . England's first innings closed for 262, Jackson getting 128, and the partnership between him and Braund yielding 141. In Australia's second innings, there were but two double figures — Gregory 28 and Darling 37, the side being out for 86, which left the Englishmen the apparently easy task of making 124. M'Laren and Palairet opened the Englishmen's account ; 44 were put on without loss, and then the artistic Palairet departed. Tyldesley and MacLaren carried the total to 72, at which only 52 were required, with nine wickets to fall. MacLaren and Tyldesley went, and still 52 were wanted, with seven wickets to fall, and the Australians playing up like ! Trojans. Then rain fell. On resum- ! ing, "Ranji" was out l.b.w. at 92. Jack- ! son and Braund put on 10, then Jackson, Braund, and Lockwood left. Mr. J. N. Pentelow thus tells the rest of the story : — "Two wickets to fall — 15 runs to make. A single from Lilley — a slashing on-drive from Rhodes. A two'to Lilley — steady, Dick ; that second run was too risky. Ah ! that's better — a low, skimming drive, which will surely reach the boundary. What's that? Clem Hill has met it; and tnere he stands, pale-faced, with the ball grasped in his hands. Marching orders, Dick ! Eight to win, and Tate left as forlorn hope. And now down comes the raiii in torrents. ' Will it ever clear?' The crowd works itself into a frenzy of excitement, and our Tate sits and waits his turn, with the torment of memory to aid any tendency to nerves that he may have. That wretched blunder ! But for that the ! match would have been, all over before now. Wilfred has to wait, too; but for him the memories are sweeter. It clears suddenly. A start is made again after three-quarters of an hour's waiting. Wilfred plays coolly, carefully, three balls from Trumble. Tate forces Saunders, snicks a 4 to leg (pure luck, but luck worth gold) off his first ball, blocks the second, sees that the third is off the wicket and leaves it alone, and is bowled by the fourth. And so Australia wins the match by three runs, and witli it the rubber ! Small wonder that the eleven in the field go almost wild with joy ; that there are somesaults as well as back thumpings and handclasps; that evesn Long Hugh, the quiet, the serious, does strange things ! The pluck and resolution that have carried them to victory when • defeat seemed practically inevitable are lessons meet for a wider field than that of cricket. But — what hard lines for England !" Shortly afteT the foregoing struggle, England had revenge for this narrow defeat by winning by one wicket, a result due in a large measure to a great innings by Jessop, a three-figure effort at a time when runs were indeed sweet. He obtained 104 out of 139, and it was a most astonishing display. " Wisden " says : " What he did would have been scarcely possible? under the same circumstances to any other living batsman. The rest of the match was simply one crescendo of excitement, and Hirst (58) and Rhodes (6) were together when the winning hit was made, England securing a one-wickei> victory." Oji 20th December, 1894, England beat Australia by 10 runs.' Australia went m first, and made 586, the highest score ¦ever made in a test match. It was ill this innings that S. E. Gregory scored his wondeiful 201, and G. Giffen his memorable 161. England responded with 325, leaving them 261 runs behind. They followed on, and compiled 437. The Lancastrian, Albert Ward, batted finely both times, making 75 and 117. Australia required only 177 to win, but the splendid bowling of Peel and Briggs, helped by a heavy storm the previous night, gave the Englishmen victory. Darling played a sterling game for 53, and Gif Jen and Lyons opened the innings well, but the tail collapsed. ¦ Peel took six wickets for 67, and Briggs three for 25. TJie batting averages of th.& South Africans to date are: FaulkneT, 65; Nouree, 42; Llevellyn. 37 -, Zulch, 27; Sinclair, 27 ; Snooke", 25 ; Strieker, 24 ; Schwarz, 25; Sherwell, 21; Pearse, 18; Commaille, 16; Pegler, 14; Vogler, 12; Campbell, 10; Hathorn, 6. And the bowling: Pegler. 15.6 (39 wickets); Schwarz, 19.8 (53 wicket*) ; Llewellyn, 24.7 (21 wickets); Vogler, 26.2 (33 wickets) ; Faulkner, 26.3 (33 wickets) ; Sinclair, 30 (21 wickets) ; Nourse, 81.8 (five wickets). Snooke has scored four for 240, P«ars& four for 93, Commaille two for 25, Strieker one for 61. AUSTRALIAN TEAM FOR NEXT TEST NEEDS STRENGTHENING. By Telegraph.— Press Association.— Copyright. SYDNEY, 27th January. Much interest is being taken in the selection of the Australian team for the next Test match. There are many supporters of Noble's contention that the attack needs strengthening. Trott urges the need of a good slow bowler.